


Nero Redgrave and the Olympians

by Shocknawe425



Category: Devil May Cry, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Family, Fantasy, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:35:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26341978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shocknawe425/pseuds/Shocknawe425
Summary: The Olympians would like to think that the world is theirs to command, but that reality is anything but true. Especially when one Devil Hunter ends up being brought to Camp Half-Blood. Nero, the nephew of the Legendary Devil Hunter, Dante, learns more about his family history, particularly about his mother. More than a few secrets will be uncovered while a new threat rears its head from the depths of the Demon World, except this threat does not intend to fail like his predecessors have. More than just the Greek Pantheon is on the line, and if Nero is honest, he sometimes wishes he has a normal family.
Relationships: Nero (Devil May Cry)/Busujima Saeko
Kudos: 16





	1. Changes on the Horizon

_**Disclaimer: I own Nothing, except my own OCs. Devil May Cry is owned by Capcom and Percy Jackson is owned by Rick Riordan.** _

* * *

_**Devil May Cry: The Godly Demon** _

_**Chapter 1: Changes on the Horizon** _

_**Long Island, New York, USA** _

_'I'm not getting paid enough for this shit,_ _'_ thought Nero bitterly as he trudged through the forests of Long Island. This wasn't his first job where he was forced to pass through forests and definitely not the worst like that one job which led him into the sewer. He still wasn't quite happy with how much amusement Dante took into when the hunter came back looking like he just came out of a dumpster. Either way, he better find this demon quick as it was getting late.

Wearing his usual blue coat that came with silver buttons with roses etched into them, underneath was a stitched together sleeveless zip-up, red hoodie, and under that was a black muscle shirt. On his back was a brown leather strap that looped around both shoulders, however, it's purpose was open to debate for anyone who didn't know the young man. Wearing a brown belt with a silver buckle, the hunter wore blue jeans that were tucked into brown boots while some straps were strung around his calves and thighs.

The sleeves of his coat were rolled up, the right more so than the left as his right arm hung in a blue sling while his arm was covered with a large glove and medical tape. On his left hand were a large brown leather bracelet while he also wore two rings: one on his pointer finger and the other on his pinkie. Slung across his shoulder was a large soft guitar case that rattled somewhat as he walked through the thick woods.

The platinum blonde teen was currently on the hunt for a demon that had been spotted or at the very least mentioned by his client. However, what he did know was that the job was provided by Lady, and it was pretty clear that even she was skeptical about the details regarding the job.

 _'Money's money,'_ thought Nero as he stepped through the woods, leaves crunching under his boots, _'Guess it doesn't really matter where it comes from.'_

* * *

_*Flashback*_

_"I got a few weird reports coming in from a Long Island state park, concerning some weird noises, trees with slashes in them, some burnt leaves, and some chunks of metal lying around._ _Some of our contacts are concerned that there may be demonic activity in the city and one requested that we check it out. He offered a more than decent payment for that job," Lady finished and looked up from one of the said reports and at Nero, who was sitting in Dante's desk chair, leaning back with his feet kicked up. The woman speaking to the teen was known as 'Lady', having forsaken the name given to her by her father some years ago._

_Lady, since then, has been working quite well as a demon hunter. Dressing in an all-white business suit, with white short shorts, brown knee-high lace boots, and carrying an array of weapons ranging from SMGs, handguns, grenades, shotguns, and a rocket launcher, she was ready to take on an army. With her hair a dusty gray-black, and wearing a set of orange glasses to hide her heterochromia eyes. However, she had set aside the weapons for the moment to give Nero a rundown on the job she had for him._

_"Not a lot to go on, considering chunks of scrap metal isn't that weird to be dumped in the middle of nowhere nowadays," shrugged Nero as he flipped through his phone, checking whatever he wanted while she explained the job, "You sure this guy isn't freaking out over what some punk kids might be doing?"_

_"Trust me, you're not the only one thinking this is just some weird shit done by some teens," scoffed the veteran demon hunter as she adjusted her glasses._

_Lady had been in the demon-hunting job for a few years now, so it wasn't surprising to anyone that she had a few jobs where it was just some kids doing some stupid stuff. However, it went without saying that Demons were also very careful about what they do and how they can deceive some hunters into thinking that it's just nothing. Even fool them by posing as the client themselves and luring the hunter into a trap._

_So, while Lady agreed that the job seemed a little odd and likely just kids doing some dumb shit, Nero could agree that this was something they couldn't just ignore._

_"So what, you're just gonna go over there and put any ideas this guy might have to rest or something?" inquired the teen demon hunter._

_"No," answered Lady, before adding in a taunting manner, "because you will go over there and check out whatever is causing the trouble and I am staying."_

_"Wait, what?" said Nero as he almost fell out of the chair and put his feet down to turn to look at the woman, "You just said you were asked to do it. So why send me?"_

_"Quite easy," Lady replied "If whatever is causing those problems is a demon, which isn't a hundred percent certain, it won't be easy to find it in a huge forest. You have a foolproof detector and tracker with you, so finding it would be easier for you."_

_To add emphasis, she gestured to Nero's right arm. Glancing down, the teen had to agree. His right arm looked far different than his right, by which it meant that it looked demonic. Having red and blue reptilian scales going across the forearm and the top part of his hand to some of his knuckles. His skin underneath glowed an azure blue while a large stripe went down the side of his forearm where it ended in a spike at the elbow. His coat sleeve was rolled up enough to allow the spike to move freely and prevent being caught in his coat. Devil Bringer was very powerful, but it had some issues._

_However, this hardly detracted from the fact that Lady was basically telling him he had no choice but to comply._

_"You're not giving me much choice are you?" he asked with a frown while Lady was getting herself a drink._

_"No, not really," she answered simply, "I'd grab a bag for yourself and take whatever you need for it. Plus, I'd take something for that sword of yours too."_

_When she finished pouring her drink, she glanced at the teen out of the corner of her eye, "Besides," she added, "It'll take your mind off what happened."_

_*End Flashback*_

* * *

Nero let out a huff through his nose as he continued through the forest. He still wasn't that happy about being forced into a job that Lady could so easily do herself. Not to mention, this was looking more and more like a wild goose cheese for some punks that did some weird shit.

"Fucking Lady," he swore under his breath as he continued through the woods, snapping a tree branch when he stepped on it. He didn't expect to find much of anything when he got to the forest or woods, or whatever they're called, however, he's yet to find anything of any importance.

The only hint or clue he was given was the location and a few damaged places and some random junk thrown around, but nothing to suggest demonic activity. Getting fed up, he made his way over to a tree and set the guitar case down beside the roots while the hunter sat down at the base. Reaching into his coat pocket with his left hand, he withdrew his phone and decided to get any information Lady received while he was heading here.

Quickly putting in the number, Nero waited as the phone rang. As the other end rang, the wind started to blow through the trees, causing the leaves to rustle a bit. Glancing up, the hunter made sure to keep his attention all around him as Demons had a tendency to strike when you least expect it.

 _"Devil May Cry,"_ said a feminine voice from the speaker of Nero's phone, bringing the hunter's attention back to what he was doing.

"Trish; didn't think you'd be back yet," greeted Nero as he figured that she was still on the job, "Thought you'd still be on the job."

 _"Just got back when you called, Nero,"_ replied Trish, having been out on her own job when he was given his by Lady, _"So, I hear you're out and doing a favor for Lady."_

"Less favor and more strong-armed into it," he snorted, "Anyway, I just wanted to speak with Lady. Seems like her informant was letting his imagination run away with him. There are some things that were trashed, but nothing to suggest it was a demon, or at the least, a big one. Either way, gonna keep my eyes peeled for anything."

 _"I'll make sure to run it by her when I get the chance,"_ replied the woman, _"Right now, I'm just looking after the shop."_

"Sounds more interesting than what I'm doing," said Nero disdainfully, "Anyway, I should be back by tomorrow afternoon."

 _"Better find a place to turn in for the night,"_ suggested Trish.

"Figured I'd save a few bucks and camp in the van," quipped Nero as he stood up.

 _"At least you're doing something Dante can't: saving money,"_ teased Trish.

"See you later," finished the teen as she did the same before hanging up. With the call ended, Nero shoved the phone into his coat and grabbed his guitar case. Glancing up at the sky, he could see that it was clearly getting late as the stars were shining a bit brighter now.

"Better get going," he muttered. He'd continue his look around tomorrow after a good night's sleep. So far, this job was nothing more than a waste of time.

But it seemed like he was in for something different and far from demonic as a voice suddenly sounded behind him.

"Stay where you are, boy," ordered an aggressive and feminine voice.

Stopping in his tracks, Nero turned around and was treated to a very odd sight as standing right in front of him was a young girl wearing silver clothing, like all silver. Silver leather jacket, jeans, and boots. However, what really had his attention was the silver-tipped arrow that was notched into the bow and drawn back. The girl herself looked to be tall, had dark brown eyes, a slightly upturned nose, and copper-colored skin. She looked to be about in her late teens, younger than Nero by some years.

Hearing the rustling of leaves around him, Nero looked around to see more young girls, all wearing similar clothing and all came with silver arrows and bows. All of them were looking at the hunter with hatred written as clear as day on their faces. However, Nero was far from worried as he scoffed and turned around, despite the girls warning.

"Well, look what we have here," joked Nero as he adjusted his hold of the guitar case, "The women's junior archery club."

The girls seemed to bristle at the name-calling, however, the girl he first saw spoke up, "Why art thou here boy?" She said spitting out the word boy like it was an insult.

Nero raised an eyebrow, a little intrigued by the use of old English, then again, some people in Fortuna did speak using that dialect. But the city was abandoned and it wasn't likely he was going to run into anyone from there anytime soon.

"Why are you talking like a Shakespeare actor?" retorted Nero, "Last I checked, people traded that out for modern English. Try it, I might be able to understand you better."

The girl seemed a bit taken off guard by the blunt and rude response, however, she hid it pretty quickly with an angered, or angrier expression, "Mind your manners, boy."

"I'll mind them when you give me a reason why I should," he shot back without hesitation. The girl seemed to get more agitated with his responses, but before she could answer, Nero spoke up, "But since it looks like you're gonna throw a tantrum, I'll do you a favor and answer your question. I'm here, on a job for someone."

"What is that job you were given," demanded the girl.

"Can't tell you," he answered.

"You will tell us what it was you were hired to do," snapped the girl as she drew the arrow back a bit further.

"I don't have to tell you anything," snorted Nero as he smirked, "Besides, I've wasted enough time here."

With that said, he walked away from the girl and towards the edge of the circle. It was then his instincts flared and Nero suddenly dove to the side. The other girls started to shoot their arrows at him, however, the hunter proved to be far more agile as he rolled across the ground, carefully flipping with the case before flipping into the air to avoid several other arrows.

Upon flipping back to his feet, Nero leaned his head to the right just as an arrow was fired right at his face. The bolt flew right by his head, missing him by millimeters as he heard the rush of air by his ear.

"So much for friendly banter," quipped the hunter as he stood at the edge of the circle while the girls notched new arrows, "If it's all the same to you, I wouldn't feel too bad when you lose."

With that said, Nero dropped the case onto the ground while he reached into his coat. Upon doing so, he drew a large revolver. A modified Smith and Wesson 500 double-action revolver, coming with some heavy customizations. Along with a large cylinder that carried six bullets instead of the normal five, the gun also came with targeting sights and ports on each barrel to reduce recoil and muzzle flip. Unlike normal guns, the gun Nero carried was capable of firing two bullets at once and to accommodate for his left-handed nature, the cylinder opened on the right rather than the left. Coming with a wooden grip and an intricate blue rose design carved into the barrel, Blue Rose was designed to be efficient.

Taking aim with Blue Rose, Nero fired at the girl who shot at him. The crack of the gun broke through the night air as the girls scrambled when the first shot went off. Two young girls took aim at the hunter but were easily shut down when he suddenly aimed at them and fired two rounds. The girls were quick, he'd give them that, but he doubted they could react to a bullet in time. So the result was their bows being snapped in twain but the platinum blonde.

 _'Two_ _down,'_ thought Nero as he focused on the others. Leaping back to dodge another arrow, the hunter retaliated by firing a shot at the offender, disarming her as well. The girl he first met and the others formed a group of about thirteen, which only left ten more girls to disarm.

Nero performed a spin in the air by leaping up, dodging three arrows that were shot at him. Landing back down on the ground, he leaped into the air once more, jumping up to a tree where he leaned against the trunk and fired at one girl. Hearing the snap of the bow let him know that she had also been disarmed. Jumping away, he narrowly avoided being shot again.

During his descent, he fired another round at a girl he spotted with an unbroken bow and quickly fixed that by taking out hers with a well placed shot. Landing on the forest floor in a roll, Nero decided to cut his losses. He was getting paid to take out a demon, not fight with a bunch of kids. Dodging another arrow, this time by lazily leaning to the side, he made his way over to the guitar case he dropped and picked it up and slung it over his shoulder.

"Don't think this hasn't been fun, because it really hasn't," drawled Nero as he spoke to the girls, "I'm not getting paid to play with some kids. So I'll see myself out."

Turning on his heel, he sprinted away from the group. He ducked as his instincts flared again and let an arrow shoot past him. Running into the forest, heading deeper, he decided to change things up by running up the side of a tree before leaping off and towards a tree branch. Leaping from branch to branch, Nero figured these girls weren't normal so using his demonic biology wouldn't be that big of a deal. Also, he had no intention of running into them again.

Jumping down from the trees, Nero sprinted across the ground, over fallen trees, and through some bushes, he felt he put some good distance between him and his offenders. That's when another arrow hit a tree beside him.

 _'Still there,'_ thought Nero as he picked up the pace, _'I need to lose them.'_

Looking around for anything he could use, he spotted a large cliff face near his position. Breaking off in that direction, Nero ran full pelt towards the rock wall. He had a plan, he just wasn't sure how smart it was. He knew, from where he was, his van wasn't that far away and he figured that he was fast enough to avoid being crushed by his pretty crazy plan.

Leaping out of the bushes, Nero ran towards the rock face. Stopping a good few feet away from the side, he spun around and pointed Blue Rose at the approaching girls. Emerging from the forest were the telltale silver-clad girls, all of them sporting angered expressions, the ones with their weapons broken held knives while the others aimed their bows at him.

"'Bout time you showed up, I was getting lonely," taunted Nero, as he gave them a condescending grin.

"There is nowhere, you can run, boy," snapped the girl he spoke with as she aimed her bow at Nero.

"That's the plan," stated Nero ominously as he suddenly aimed at the cliff face. Channeling some energy from Devil Bringer into Blue Rose. The barrel of the revolver flashed for a second before he pulled the trigger. The result was a shot fired at the cliff face which exploded on impact. The explosion caused a good deal of debris to fall and towards the group. The girls all backed off while Nero held his place.

As debris fall around him, a large cloud of dust was thrown into the air, giving him the perfect cover to escape through. Leaping into the air, Nero used his enhanced reflexes and strength to leap from chunks of debris and began to ascend. While this only took a second, he had more than enough time to escape the girls and stand at the top of the cliff. Turning around, Nero saw the large dust cloud had covered a good area, giving him plenty of cover to escape with.

"So long, losers," snorted Nero to himself as he sprinted into the forest.

* * *

Zoë was far from happy as she and her sisters recovered from the cliff collapse. To summarise what just happened, not only had a male managed to escape them, he also disarmed nearly half of her sisters and herself with a revolver. The fact that a male had bested them in two aspects was unacceptable, but he also seemed to know he was better than her as well. She could not allow this. She could not allow a male to be better than her.

Upon searching the area per her orders, the other hunters looked for anything, even searching the rubble for his crushed body. However, the found none and the dust cloud had covered any trails they could have followed in order to track him. Even the Wolves had no luck and since the man vanished from the falling debris as the dust would likely mask his scent so tracking him was out of the question.

The use of his firearm, the incredible accuracy led her to believe that the boy was a son of Apollo, but that did not explain the case he carried with him. Also, his facial features were all wrong as in, he did not appear to be a child of Apollo. His eyes were baby blue and his skin was incredibly white. Not to mention his hair was completely platinum.

With nothing more to do, she had only one option and that was to return back to camp and inform Lady Artemis of this man's escape.

If this Half-blood was unaware of his heritage then he would just be wandering around attracting monsters left and right.

Zoë found Artemis in her tent cleaning her weapons. The goddess looked up at her lieutenant.

"Yes Zoë what is it?" She said standing up.

Zoë began to explain all that happened with the boy she encountered and her theories behind the boy.

"How old did this boy look?" Artemis said after Zoë was done with her recount.

"He stood over six feet tall, late teens I would say," she answered.

Artemis thought it over in her head. "If he started attracting monsters at twelve like normal half-bloods then he has been serving on his own for at least six years. A shame he is not a girl, he might have made an excellent hunter."

"What are we going to do Lady Artemis?" Zoë asked shifting her weight.

"You said he escaped when he shot down a cliff. That would cover all tracks and his scent... but you said he was here doing a job, so that must mean he is still in the area in order to complete it before leaving."

Artemis then look at Zoë, "Tell the others we are moving, and that we have a boy to track down. We will drag him to camp Half-blood if we have to."

* * *

"I'm really not getting paid enough for this shit," muttered Nero bitterly as he trudged through the forest once more, this time heading back to the van.

He was covered from head to toe with dust when he brought down that part of the cliff. In retrospect, he was focusing more on escaping the pissed of girls than being clean. However, at the moment, he was brushing dirt off his coat, face, and hair.

While the junior archers may have delayed his progress, he still had a job to do. And his pride damned him if he failed it to a bunch of kids. Plus, he had a feeling that the demon was still in the area. He figured he'd pick up the trail tomorrow as it was around midnight. He's wasted enough time as it is, didn't need to put it off for longer.

However, it seemed like fate had other ideas.

Upon reaching the carpark where he had his van parked, Nero stopped in his tracks as he felt Devil Bringer pulse slightly. It was a strong pulse, like when a demon is around; this was weaker. Glancing at the edge of the park, the hunter spotted three women approaching him with hungry looks in their eyes.

"Can I help you three?" addressed Nero as he narrowed his eyes.

"So a demigod decided that It was safe enough to wander away from your little camp and not run into any trouble," The woman in the middle said an older lady with black hair and a green dress on.

"Demigod?" repeated Nero as he raised an eyebrow, having never heard that one before, "Never been called that before."

"Just because one of your parents is a god does not mean you now own the place," The one beside her hissed, this one was in a red dress.

"Never claimed to own the place," snapped Nero, "And the only parents I ever had that mattered to me are dead."

"Why are we bothering with talking to him let's just eat him, he barely smells like one. I bet he's just a descendant of one," The last one said this one in a blue dress.

"So, one of you wants to get down to business, right?" drawled Nero, knowing they were talking amongst themselves rather than him when they didn't address what he was saying. However, he knew better than to think these ladies were anything but human. That much was proven when the women suddenly started to transform.

The part of their bodies shapeshifted and transformed into serpent-like tails, while the upper part remained somewhat the same. However, their tongues flicked out, similar to actual snakes, tasting the air. Their scales were of similar colors to the dresses they wore, as did their hair.

While they may look intimidating to a normal person, Nero only raised an eyebrow as he gave them a once over.

"That all?" asked the hunter, clearly unimpressed.

"Perhapsss you should come clossser and find out," hissed one of the snakes.

"Well then," smirked Nero as he reached over his shoulder to the guitar case. Unzipping the top, he reached in and withdrew a massive sword while the case fell to the ground, "Let's get down to business."

In his hand was an extremely large sword, not dissimilar to a Grosse Messer, a German sword that translates to 'big knife' due to its appearance. However, his sword was much larger, having a thicker blade, a curved tip. But the most prominent feature was the handle, which looked similar to a motorcycle throttle.

The snakes seemed to tense at the large weapon, which was all Nero needed to really get inside their heads. Flipping the sword, he planted the tip into the ground, "You wanna fight? Then come on."

To add emphasis, he revved the throttle. From a small vent on the inside of the sword, flames shot out of the exhaust, dosing the sword in flames briefly. This was Nero's signature sword: Red Queen. The snakes seemed to gawk at the reveal of an engine inside the weapon. However, they quickly hid their surprise under a veil of arrogance.

"Do you think that mortal weapon can harm us?" challenged the blue snake.

"Let's find out," replied Nero ominously.

Faster than the snakes could even blink, he lunged right at them, taking them by surprise. The blue snake that challenged him was the first to go down, having her head sliced right off when Nero swung Red Queen at her. The creature's lifeless body fell to the ground as the hunter passed and landed a few yards away.

Looking back, Nero was surprised when her body suddenly evaporated into gold dust. However, some demons do crumble into dust when you kill them; Hell Prides dissolve into sand. But the hunter figured he'd think about that later.

Spinning around, he lunged at the red snake, which was just barely able to slither out of the way when he brought his sword down. The massive weapon slammed down into the asphalt of the parking lot and cracked it, to the snake's surprise. However, Nero didn't let up as he chased after his prey. Raising Red Queen again, more than comfortable using one hand, the hunter sliced the snakes tail, taking a large chunk out of it.

The snake cried in pain but was silenced soon after as Nero impaled his sword through her back. Her body collapsed into gold dust, similar to the first snake. With two threats eliminated, Nero turned to the final problem. He leisurely rested Red Queen on his shoulder as he smirked darkly at the snake.

The green snake looked at him with fear and tried to run, however, she didn't make it very far before her tail was stabbed to the ground by Red Queen when Nero lunged right after her. She cried out in pain as the blade pierced her tail. The hunter ripped the sword out and walked towards the snake. She turned around and raised her left hand, but soon found it sliced off when the hunter swung his giant sword. The snake cried in pain as she clutched the stump that used to be her right hand.

Nero then kicked her over and pinned the snake under his boot as he raised Red Queen to finish her off.

"No! Please!" begged the creature.

Nero ignored her and was about to bring the sword down. Demons are always cowards when they are at the end of the line. Willing to do anything, offer anything to save their own life. However, for the first time, Nero hesitated, not because of the kill, but what he saw.

Streaming down the snake's cheek from her eyes were _tears_.

"You're crying," identified Nero when he saw the liquid coming from her eyes.

"W-what?" gasped the snake as she looked up.

"I've only seen two other demons cry and you're not like anything I've come across," explained the hunter as he lowered the sword, but so he could place the edge under her neck, causing the snake to whimper, "What are you?"

"I-I'm a Lamias," sobbed the women-snake.

Nero was silent as thought about what was just told to him, "Are you a demon?"

"What?"

"Answer the question," demanded Nero as he edged the blade of his sword closer to her neck, drawing a little blood.

"NO!"

The young adult was silent for a moment to think about everything that had just happened: first, he ran into a brigade of female archers that seemed to have a very distinct dislike of men, then he runs into a trio of monsters from Greek myth. So far, this job has given him more questions than answers, and none of them related to the demon he was hired to find and takedown.

With a snort, Nero stepped off the snake-woman and withdrew Red Queen. The Lamias looked at him in confusion.

"Leave," ordered the hunter as he glared down at the woman.

"What?" the snake-woman couldn't understand what was going on. Why was he sparing her?

"Leave before I change my mind," repeated Nero harshly, prompting the woman to slowly, but quickly slither off. She cast one more glance back at the hunter before she vanished into the darkness, leaving the hunter in the parking lot to let out a sigh before looking at where she previously had been.

"What the hell is going on?"

_**To Be Continued...** _


	2. Archers, Hunters, And Demons

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Capcom owns Devil May Cry and Rick Riordan owns Percy Jackson.** _

* * *

_**Devil May Cry: The Godly Demon** _

_**Chapter 2: Archers, Hunters, And Demons** _

_**Long Island, New York** _

Safe to say, he didn't get much sleep last night.

Not because of the poor weather that rolled in this morning, but because of what happened last night. When he encountered that creature. It wasn't a demon as demons do not cry, and Nero didn't put much faith into myths as most of them were just fairy tales. So what the heck was it?

"Dammit," snapped Nero as he sat up from his makeshift bed and swung his legs out to the side.

True to his word, the hunter had decided to camp out in his van as promised. The inside of the van was fairly spacious, with a small workbench to one side where Nero could work on Red Queen if he needed to during a job, a small bed was also brought in while two seats were set upfront, the passenger seat being on a swivel to allow easy exit.

At the moment, the hunter figured he wouldn't get anything done lying around. So with a huff, the hunter rose off the bed and decided to get back to his job and find the demon he was sent to hunt down. Currently, only wearing his black muscle shirt, Nero grabbed his stitched hoodie that was laid on the workbench and quickly put it on. Heading over to the front of the van, he grabbed his blue coat that was hung on the back of the passenger seat and quickly threw it on.

Red Queen was placed next to the workbench while Blue Rose was also placed on the bench with his hoodie. Grabbing both weapons, he tucked the powerful handgun inside his coat while he grabbed the guitar case and hid the sword inside. He might be in the woods, but that still didn't mean he needed to draw unwanted attention.

This left one last thing which was his cast.

Digging into the pocket of his coat, Nero grabbed the red glove that he wore over Devil Bringer and a roll of medical tape. Quickly, he wrapped his forearm up in the tape, making sure to completely cover his arm before pinning it. With the tape in place, he then put on the red and black glove, covering Devil Bringer's fingers and its claws. Testing the movement, he flexed his fingers briefly before picking up the sling he left on the stool that he would sit at when he was working at the bench.

Once he had everything in order, he let out a brief huff as he headed to the back of the van. Unlocking the door, he opened it up and stepped into the morning light. He was blinded brief by the sun as it crawled into the sky, but his eyes quickly adjusted took a glance around.

The parking lot he was staying in wasn't much to look at. Just a few spots as the park that the informant told Lady of where the demon was supposedly residing in wasn't that large. However, it was the parking lot that garnered the hunter's attention.

Unconsciously, Nero looked back to the spot where he encountered that snake-woman. He stared at it for a moment, thinking about what happened. She wasn't human, but she wasn't a demon either, and he didn't put much heed into fairy tales. So what the hell was she?

The young adult let out a wry snort as he narrowed his eyes.

"Thinking about it won't get me paid," muttered Nero disdainfully as he turned back to the van and shut the door. Fishing into his pocket once more, he took out a set of keys and quickly locked the van. Satisfied, the hunter turned towards the forest and started towards it.

The van in question was a rather large vehicle. It's manufacturer being Ford, though it went through some modifications by Nero. The vehicle was colored blue and white with red trimming heading down the side, but that wasn't the most prominent feature. Placed near the end of the large van was a neon blue sign that was currently switched off. However, just briefly, the sign flickered to life, flashing its name and the name of where Nero worked.

_Devil May Cry_

But the name meant very little to the people who came to the parking lot just twenty minutes after the hunter left for his hunt.

* * *

She just missed him.

Somehow, in some way, a boy escaped Artemis and her hunters with no intention of doing so. Her lady had planned to ambush him as soon as they found his place of temporary residence. However, when they arrived, he was not there. It was then Artemis concluded that the boy left earlier than she predicted.

However, it seemed like he wasn't that far ahead of them. But that still didn't excuse the fact that he slipped through their grasp once again.

"It doesn't seem that he has been here for too long," noted Artemis as she studied the tire tracks of the van the boy drove her, "Only arrived here late yesterday afternoon."

"My lady," spoke one of the hunters as she approached Artemis, "We found a license and registration in the glove compartment."

"Good," nodded Artemis as she stood up and took the items.

"The vehicle is registered to a Nero Redgrave," continued the girl.

"He must be the one here," stated Zoe.

"I agree," concurred the Goddess as she turned to her lieutenant, "He should be that far ahead of us."

However, before she could issue any further orders, the sky cracked with thunder. Odd considering there were no clouds in the sky.

"Continue the hunt," ordered Artemis as she let out a deep sigh, "I need to return to Olympus."

She was gone in a flash of silver light, leaving her hunters to hunt the mysterious boy. And hunt him, they did, taking to the forest in search of their quarry. However, little did they know, one other entity was watching them from the shadows.

A low growl rumbled from whatever it was as blue eyes surveyed the area with malicious intent.

* * *

"FUCK YOU, FIDO!" shouted Nero as he shot an extremely large dog with Blue Rose. The creature let out a whine as its head was blown open as blood and brain matter splattered everywhere.

Not long after he entered the forest, he was getting attacked by these dog creatures. They weren't demons as Devil Bringer didn't register them as such, but that didn't detract from the fact they were dangerous and were looking to try and make a meal out of him. Too bad this meal bites back.

"First, the crazy feminazis archery club, then those snake chicks," listed Nero as he spun around and fired another round into the head of another dog that tried to tackle him. The dog let out a yelp as it too was shot between the eyes, "Now I've got the fucking hounds of hell after me. Lady, when this is over, I'm kicking your ass."

The Hunter knew these weren't Devils as some of them exploded into gold dust while others collapsed to the ground and rot. He knew these weren't demons, but they clearly weren't normal either so he doubts Dante would get pissed about it. Besides, it's not like he had to know what happened during his jobs, but in all honesty, Nero was going to figure out what the hell he got himself into. One way or another.

"First thing after I find that demon, I'm putting it down, then I'm never coming back to this fucking island," swore the silver-blonde as he continued through the forest. Shooting another dog without even looking right in the chest, the animal exploding into dust as he trudged through the woods. One thing he was pretty grateful for was the mystic rounds Dante got him. They were similar to the rounds the veteran hunter used as you never had to reload. A few demonic properties and buying new rounds wasn't a problem anymore. Too bad they required demonic energy to work, or Lady would save a fortune.

Either way, he really wasn't getting paid enough for this.

* * *

_**Mount Olympus, New York City, New York** _

At the same time, things were getting underway at the council room of Olympus. The Goddess of the Hunt had just appeared as the remaining Olympians gods seated themselves and waited for the meeting to begin.

"This meeting has begun," announced Zeus, gazing upon all the gods that were gathered, "As you all know, my Master Bolt has been stolen, but I have discovered the name of the thief. It is Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon."

"My son has not stolen your Symbol of Power, Zeus!" defended the Sea God angrily as he shot up from his throne, "He learned of his heritage just yesterday!"

This was certainly news to Artemis as she looked at her uncle with a somewhat surprised gaze. She was unaware that Poseidon had broken his oath, but this didn't answer some questions she had. Particularly her brother Apollo. However, it is still interesting to hear that Poseidon had broken his oath.

 _'Typical men,'_ thought the Goddess disdainfully.

"How do we know that for sure?! You have sent him to steal it and then led him to Camp Half-Blood all the while pretending not to know!" accused Zeus as he too rose from his throne.

Soon, their argument turned into childish bickering, each one throwing words and accusations that were more or less uninterpretable. As this was happening, Artemis thought back to the hunt for that boy. Even though she had yet to encounter him, she sensed he was a Demigod by his scent that he left behind him, however, she also sensed something else. It was very powerful, so much so, but more than that, it felt _wrong_. Not like the Titans and whatever foul beast that skulked about through the world.

This felt immensely different. As if, from another world.

While Artemis was reminiscing about her quarry, she didn't notice that Athena caught her deep in thought. Ignoring the argument between her two bickering family members in front of her. Normally she would be rolling her eyes and inwardly signing at the idiocy of the boys before her, but now her mind was elsewhere and focused on this one subject enough to tune them out.

And this made Athena curious.

"Artemis," addressed Athena, her tone hushed so that it wouldn't interrupt the bickering brothers before them.

Being called to so suddenly jarred the aforementioned goddess out of her thoughts and directed her attention to her older sister. She immediately picked up on the curious expression Athena wore.

"What is it, Athena?" asked Artemis.

"You seem distracted," answered Athena, somewhat smugly as if to flaunt her intelligence, "Your mind is elsewhere."

"It's of little concern," dismissed the younger sister, clearly not in the mood to play her game. However, Athena was nothing if not persistent. If there was a puzzle, she was the one to solve it.

"I just need something to preoccupy my mind while those two argue," requested the Goddess of Wisdom as she gestured to her father and uncle, both of whom were still bickering.

"My lieutenant ran into a demigod," said Artemis, after taking a moment to glance at Zeus and Poseidon still arguing, "His name is Nero Redgrave. He was able to evade us twice and disarm several of my hunters during the first encounter."

Athena's eyebrows rose in surprise, as this news was very intriguing. Not many demigods could boast such a feat, escaping the hunter's of Artemis was no easy task, but disarming several? That was very intriguing to her. Almost instantly, her mind went to work with the information given to her.

"What's more, the boy had his right arm in a sling," added her sister.

Now that really had her attention as Athena looked at Artemis briefly with a look of surprise.

"His arm was injured?" repeated Athena wanting to be certain.

"It was."

Now, this was really interesting.

The first piece of information was that this demigod knew stealth, which immediately took out Zeus, Poseidon, Aphrodite, Hephestus, Ares, and Demeter. All of whom weren't exactly that known for being quiet. Which left Apollo, Hermes, and Hestia. However, she could easily rule out her aunt as she never had a child and was not likely to ever have one, leaving Hermes and Apollo. She could also do the same with Hera and Artemis, as they didn't have any demigod children and she sincerely Dionysus had any more kids.

However, Artemis also told her that the demigod was able to disarm several of her hunters. And only someone with excellent combat sense could do that, so that placed Ares back on the table. However, she still didn't know what kind of weapons the demigod carried. Despite having a name, she wanted to do this her way as it was more fun.

"Did he have any weapons on him?" asked Athena.

"He carried a revolver and a large guitar case, which I only assume carries a weapon inside," answered Artemis.

Now that was odd.

Demigods rarely used firearms as they would have to craft the bullets from Celestial Bronze, which meant they would require a lot of material. This led her to bring Hephestus back to the table as he was the only one who really knew how to make those bullets. However, this also reinforced Apollo as the likely parent if this Demigod was a marksman.

But she did not have the full puzzle to complete it, but all indicators pointed to Apollo. There was still more to uncover.

"How did he act?" asked Athena.

"I have never seen him myself, but my lieutenant said that he was extremely confident in his abilities," responded the goddess, "He said that he was hired for a job but refused to reveal what that was. However, she also reported that the way he walked suggested extreme caution as if he knew he was going to be attacked at any given moment."

 _'A warrior no doubt, but is employed,'_ thought Athena as she analyzed the information, _'A mercenary perhaps?'_

However, before she could ask any more questions she was interrupted when Dionysus suddenly spoke up, catching the attention of every god.

"Hate to break up your argument father, but I think you might want to see this," informed the director of Camp Half-Blood as he lowered his phone. Every god and goddess turned to the god, even the brother, Zeus and Poseidon stopped their bickering and turned to him, "Hephaestus, get your tv and set it up. There's something you'll want to see."

Heeding the request, the smith god snapped his fingers, a small spark appearing where his fingers did snap. Not soon after, a large plasma screen tv appeared in the center of the council room so that everyone could see. The screen lit up as Dionysus sent a video to the device from his phone.

The screen snapped to life as a somewhat shaky video appeared with low light, suggesting it was taken late last night. In it, was a view of the woods near the camp. If Artemis had to guess, it was just under one-quarter of a mile from the camp. Silence filled the council for a moment.

"What are we looking at, D?" asked Ares somewhat bored.

Before Dionysus could respond, a deep, guttural rumble broke through the speaker. The sound was unlike anything the gods had heard of as they all felt themselves stiffen. From the side of a screen, a dark shadow figure appeared. Due to the low resolution of the camera used to take the video, the gods only received a somewhat blurry image, but that was all that they needed to know this thing was imposing.

The ground in the forest crunched under its immense size as whoever was recording couldn't get the creature in full view, but from what they could see, it was very large.

"What is that thing?" asked Zeus in a low tone. He would never admit it, but when that creature growled, it was a noise he could do without hearing again.

"I do not know," said Dionysus, "Chiron had some campers come to him, saying they saw something in the woods. Said it wasn't like any monster they've ever seen."

"Looks kinda like a dinosaur," noted Hermes, looking at the long tail, diminutive arms, and lizard-like scales.

Athena looked at Artemis. She mouthed a question, not wanting to draw attention to herself.

 _'Is this what he's after?'_ asked the goddess of wisdom.

"I don't know," replied Artemis quietly. However, not quiet enough as Aphrodite caught wind of the response.

"Don't know what?" asked the Love Goddess, loud enough to draw the attention of everyone in the room. Soon all eyes were on Artemis, who was sending a glare at her kin who exposed her.

"What do you know that we don't, daughter?" Zeus asked sternly.

Reluctantly Artemis spoke, "My lieutenant encountered a boy by the name Nero Redgrave. They encountered him in the woods where he said he was there due to being hired for a job of some kind. He managed to not only escape her by bringing down part of a cliff and using the debris as cover to escape and conceal his trail but was also able to disarm several of my hunters including my Lieutenant."

"That is extremely impressive," commented Demeter.

"Maybe he's one of mine," shrugged Ares.

"I should also point out that this boy used a firearm and escape even despite being unable to use his right arm," added the goddess of the hunt, though was resistant to do so.

"You're saying that this kid got passed all of your hunters, disarmed half of them, and was unable to use his right arm?" listed Apollo, "I think you might be losing your touch sis."

Artemis glared at him while Dionysus pointed out one thing, "None of the little brats use firearms."

"Least someone is updating," Ares added, "It's about time some of them started using guns, makes the fight so much easier... but not as fun."

"What does this Demigod look like?" asked Hera, expecting characteristics that relate to her cheating husband.

"He is pale, with blue eyes, and silver-blonde hair," described Artemis, "he stands well over six feet, and if we can get his file, we can have a definite age. But from what my lieutenant has described, he is likely in his late teens, perhaps twenty, meaning this boy has been surviving on his own for more several years now."

"Tall and a survivalist; bet he's got a nice body too. Me likey," Aphrodite added seductively.

"Impossible no Demigod has lasted that long by themselves!" Zeus proclaimed sounding a bit jealous that one of his kids had never accomplished such a feat.

"Probably mine, no demigod could survive that long with being a good fighter," Ares said leaning back in his throne.

"He must have found a way to hide his scent. I might pay this demigod a visit, whatever he is using it would definitely help the others as well," Hermes said thoughtfully.

"It does not matter. Daughter, I am ordering you to stop hunting this demigod and find out what that creature is," Zeus ordered, "Then you can track down this demigod if he is of any importance."

While this happened, none of them took notice that Hestia had stopped tending to the hearth that was located in the room and was now staring off into space. The way the boy was described, it reminded her of someone she knew. Many years ago...

* * *

_**Long Island, New York** _

Zoë had been tracking the boy in Lady Artemis' absence. She had the hunters backtrack until they picked up a trace of the boy's presence. The hunting wolves they had with them kept their noses to the ground sniffing around for any trace of the boy.

In all her years as Lady Artemis' lieutenant no one, other than Lady Artemis, has been able to escape her so easily. Since Lady Artemis let her join her hunters she has trained herself to be the best of her hunters. Now some boy had made her look like some second rate hunter with a gun that he just got from some store. Zoë had let the boy escape her once she would not let him again, her pride as Lady Artemis' lieutenant would not allow it.

Suddenly one of the wolves left up a howl to indicate that it had found something.

Zoë rushed over to the wolf to see what it had found. The ground had been kicked up like someone had landed here with a lot of momentum. The tracks led to a tree that looked like it had been hit by something as there was a dent in the bark.

"The boy was here spread out and look for look for any more evidence of his presence!" Zoë ordered the rest of the hunters.

They all nodded in response and started to search the surrounding area. Zoë took to the treetops to see if she could spot any obvious signs of the boy's presence. The morning sun illuminated the forest floor making it easy to spot anything out of the ordinary.

A whistling sound went up from the forest just as Zoë landed on a tree branch. She looked to the direction of the sound and waited for a moment before another whistle went up. Zoë turned and jumped towards the sound.

Zoë's eyes shot wide at what she saw as soon as she landed. Before her were the rotting corpse of at least twenty Hellhounds, the majority of them had a large hole in their heads. This was all wrong when a monster was killed it turned to gold dust, this was impossible.

"Report," Zoë ordered the two hunters that came across the sight. The other hunters were just arriving as Zoë gave her order.

"We came across this site after following a trail of gold dust and a few other Hellhound bodies," One of the two hunters said, still trying to come to terms on what she was seeing.

"There are human tracks here!" Another hunter called.

Zoë walked over to her to see the tracks for herself.

They were not fresh and only a trained eye would have seen them, but they were only a few minutes old meaning they weren't far behind. The boot print was large, a size 12 if she had to guess, and they were about an inch into the ground meaning whoever made this print was heavy. Zoë looked up to see another print and another and where they went to.

"Let us follow them, we will catch this boy before our lady returns," Zoë said eyes fixed on the trail. However, as soon as she said that, a flash of light appeared behind her. Turning around, she saw her lady return.

"Lady Artemis," greeted Zoë with a bow, "How did the meeting fare?"

"Another argument between my father and Poseidon, it would appear that Poseidon did break his oath," Artemis sighed thinking back to the meeting.

"So the boy we are hunting is his son," Zoë concluded.

"No the boy we are hunting is not the son of Poseidon, he must be the son of one of the other gods."

"We will find him, my Lady," Zoë said more determined than normal when on a hunt.

"Yes, and now Zeus wants us to track a creature that was sighted near Camp Half-Blood. I believe that the boy we are tracking is somehow connected to the beast," explained Artemis.

It seemed like the hunters of Artemis had everything planned out and they were not far behind their target. If she was right, then she would still be following her father's orders of tracking the monster while also fulfilling the second set of requirements of her orders.

Now, it was just a matter of closing in on their target.

* * *

"Come on, where the fuck is this thing?" demanded Nero as he pushed past several branches and headed further into the forest. He was far from worried about getting lost as he could always backtrack his own trail. However, so far, the only things he's encountered were those weird dogs.

They were easy enough to kill, but that just made him more curious.

What the hell were they?

Not to mention, he's made very little progress regarding the demon he was sent to track down. Maybe the demon had moved on, which was unfortunate cause he could really use the money and he doubts that Lady would be too happy to hear he ditched a job.

But he really didn't have anything to do right now. But he had to be certain of some things. The first one being, who the hell were those girls that attacked him.

Speaking off who...

An arrow suddenly struck the tree next to his head, missing by millimeters. Nero wasn't even fazed, if anything, he let out a tired sigh as he grabbed the shaft of the arrow and pulled it out of the tree.

"Really?" deadpanned Nero as he turned to the direction where the arrow came from, "You just can't leave me alone, can yah?"

Despite how dense the foliage was, Nero could easily see his assailants approaching him. All thirty of them, ten more than the last group he faced. It just means ten more asses to kick. He's tired and has had no luck so far regarding the demon he's looking for.

One girl stepped out from the trees who looked to be about fifteen, maybe a bit older. She had auburn hair, silvery grey eyes that looked rather angry. Seems to be a running theme among these chicks. She was wearing similar clothing to the other girls, but with some minor changes, like some more ornate designs to it. Not to mention, unlike the others, she had two daggers in hand.

"So we meet face to face," she spoke to the hunter with disdain, as if she was scolding a child for doing something he was not supposed to do.

"Didn't realize I had a meeting," replied Nero as he inspected the arrow shot at him, "Been kinda busy, you know, trying to do my job."

"Why are you here, Nero Redgrave?" demanded the girl, using his name.

This immediately raised red flags in the hunter's mind as he lost all sense of humor and locked his baby blue eyes directly onto the girl.

"How the hell do you know my name?" demanded the hunter.

"Watch your tongue boy," snapped the auburn girl, "you are nothing compared to me I could kill you before you even drew your weapon!"

Nero scoffed as he shook his head, "Pretty bold statement coming from someone who isn't even past five' six"," he taunted her, causing the girl to glare at him, "But back to the main point, how'd you figure my name? You been following me?"

"It does not matter," she stated, "Now _boy_ you will surrender to us."

"Surrender's not in my vocabulary," responded Nero, as he looked off to the side, "Besides job's not done."

"Your job no longer matters," said the girl grimly, trying to look intimidating, "all that matters is your surrender."

"Says you, and I don't recall ever listening to you," replied the Silver-blonde sharply as he narrowed his eyes at the girl, "Now, if you'll excuse me."

"You are surrounded," stated the girl, "Surrender."

Nero looked like he was about to retort, his eyes narrowing even further, however his expression suddenly changed. The sudden change caught the girl's attention as he looked like something terrible was coming. That's when she sensed it. The same power she had sensed before in his van.

The power...

The darkness...

And she wasn't alone.

Nero could feel Devil Bringer pulsing powerfully. The demon was here and it was close.

Suddenly, the ground shook as distant thumps could be heard. The gathered girls all looked around as they felt the Earth shake underneath them. What followed was a roar, unlike anything they had ever heard of. It was distant but hardly made it any less intimidating. It was deep and powerful as whatever it was, was closing.

"Oh so now you show," muttered Nero as he turned to the right.

The girls all turned to see a massive creature emerge from the shadows. It looked like a type of dinosaur one would see in a museum, however, this was just much more imposing. Standing nearly 83 feet in length, the beast towered over them at 27 feet. It was incredibly wide with dark red scales, massive black horns that pointed forward and traveled down the back, becoming large. Enormous fangs filled its maw as the beast growled lowly during its approach. If someone took a good look, one could see that it was similar to a Carnotaurus.

When the massive creature growled, smoke wafted from its maw as its piercing blue eyes locked onto its prey. The beast stopped as it adjusted its stance before letting out an ear-splitting roar that caused all those present, minus Nero, to flinch. The hunter just snorted as he dropped the arrow he had been inspecting and moved towards the monster.

"Thought you'd never show up," quipped Nero as he stopped a few feet from the animal. The girls looked at him like he was insane.

"What are you doing?" demanded the girl with the auburn hair.

"Uh, what I was hired to do," he replied simply.

"There is no way you'll defeat that beast on your own."

Nero smirked as he reached over his shoulder and grabbed the zipper to the guitar case. With a dramatic display, he unzipped the case and pulled out Red Queen. Flipping the blade around, the hunter smirked as he glanced over his shoulder as he planted the tip into the ground.

"Wanna put that to the test?"

As he said that, he revved the Exceed, causing the girls to jump and look at the weapon in surprise. Flames danced across the blade while the silver-haired hunter just smirked. The monster locked its attention directly onto Nero, roaring as it started off to the side, displaying its massive tail. Like its horns, the tail looked somewhat metallic, however, that did not detract from the fact what was essentially its tail, also appeared to be a massive sword.

"Well then," stated Nero as he swung out Red Queen and held it out to his side, "LET'S ROCK!"

With that, he charged right towards the monster just as the beast roared and charged as well.

_**To Be Continued...** _


	3. Fires of Battle

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing. Capcom owns Devil May Cry and_ ** **_Rick Riordan owns Percy Jackson._ **

* * *

**_Devil May Cry: The Godly Demon_ **

**_Chapter 3: Fires of Battle_ **

**_Long Island, New York_ **

He had been hunting this demon for quite some time now. Not the longest hunt he's ever been on, but compared to previous ones, this was likely the most aggravating and confusing one he's been on. So much so, he had tons of questions and very few answers to them. The women who attacked him and hunted him, the snake ladies that were sort of like demons but were clearly not, and then the hounds of hell. They were all extremely confusing to him, but he couldn't think about that right now.

Not when he had a 40-foot-tall, 10,000-degree knife dinosaur trying to eat him.

Nero charged right towards the monstrous demon with his sword held out while the beast roared as it also charged. Dipping its massive maw down, it snapped at him, but the demon hunter was faster than it as he side-stepped the razor-sharp teeth by spinning to the right. Using the momentum, he revved the Exceed, flames erupting from Red Queen's vents as he performed a suddenly upward slash that sliced the side of the demon with metal and fire, causing it to roar more in annoyance than pain.

The demon roared at Nero as its throat suddenly started glowing a red. However, the hunter only smirked as he charged towards it again, sword held out as he sprinted at it, however, the beast lowered its stance before suddenly leaping to the side just as the young hunter swung at him. Nero spun around before using the Exceed in Red Queen to propel himself right towards it again where he slashed at its legs.

Blood splattered across the ground as Red Queen sliced into the demon's calf, however, it was hardly deterred as it roared in fury before slamming its tail down on the ground. Taking a wide step, the demon used its sword-like tail to swat Nero away like a fly, dragging the edge through the ground, causing a shower of sparks before the organic weapon struck his sword when the hunter raised it to block the attack. Nero was sent flying back several yards before he landed on his feet, sliding a few more feet before he steadied himself.

Nero only snorted as he straightened himself out, "Gotta admit, you've got some moves for a prehistoric youtube clickbait," he taunted, causing the demonic-dinosaur to growl lowly before roaring at him in fury. Flames erupting from its mouth as it glared at him.

Meanwhile, the hunters and goddess were watching silently as the male and the monster fought in what would likely end with one of them dead. What was more, the hunters were watching with a little bit of awe, though minuscule as they watched the boy go toe to toe with a monster that was leagues larger than him, even when he is unable to use his right arm. However, for one of them, she was starting to dislike this boy more and more.

Zoë looked ready to charge in and fight this beast herself, however, not to defeat it but to prove that she was better than the boy.

 _'We do nothing as this boy flaunts his skill before us?'_ thought Zoë as she looked at Nero with growing hate, _'He was able to escape us, defeat an entire pack of Hellhounds, and now he is mocking us by facing this beast by himself?!'_

She was close to disliking him as much as she disliked Hercules, though for different reasons. The god of strength betrayed her and she hated him for it, and though her pride would never allow her to openly admit it, she hated this boy because he was better than her. Mainly because, despite his disability, he was able to perform even greater than her.

And she hated that. Feeling weaker than him. Being outmatched by a demigod, let alone a male demigod was something she would never allow herself. Never to become second to a male.

Taking a step forward, she unsheathed her knife, however, she was suddenly stopped by Artemis when she lay her hand on her shoulder.

Zoë looked back to her lady, "Standdown, Zoë," ordered the goddess, "let the fool kill himself."

"But my lady!" protested the lieutenant, but was cut off before she could continue.

"Enough, let the boy weaken the beast," ordered the hunt goddess, "Our orders were to search for the boy, but never to return him alive. The only thing he'll achieve is his own death if this monster is as powerful as I sense."

She turned back to the fight to see the monster was still going strong, however, she was disappointed and annoyed to see, so was the boy.

"Come on? Is that all you've got?" challenged Nero as he flipped back to avoid the demon as it snapped at him.

The Demon roared in fury as it sprinted right towards him, jaw wide open with all its teeth on display. The hunter smirked as he leaped into the air, over the demon as it thundered past underneath him. Adjusting his grip on Red Queen, he revved the Exceed and shot back down to the ground thanks to the fire blasted out of the vents. The result was Nero slicing its hip and leg open, letting a shower of blood spill out and coat the blade in red.

The demon roared angrily as the flames in its maw blasted out. Spinning around, swinging its massive swordtail at Nero, the demon cleaved a tree clean in half. Though, it missed its target when it suddenly leaped back, putting several yards between them. The red glow in its neck seemed to grow brighter while the flames in its mouth flickered wildly.

Nero raised an eyebrow as the blue-eyed demon roared at him and readied itself. The hunter tensed, preparing to dodge the monster when it charged, however, he was surprised to see it suddenly sprint to the side. However, he was partially taken off-guard when a massive glob of flaming mucus shot out of its mouth. Leaping back, the hunter avoided the flaming slime though was forced to move again as the mucus burned for a moment before exploding in a large fireball.

"Woah!" said Nero as he steadied himself and looked at the smoking aftermath, "Nice trick. You'd make a killing a party."

The demon roared as in a sudden display of agility, it leaped into the air and swung its tail down at him. Nero dove to the side just as the metallic tail slammed into the ground, shattering the Earth. He was forced to dodge again when it followed up the attack by twisting around on its heel, bringing its tail down again. The silver-blonde steadied himself as he looked up at the lizard monster and huffed in annoyance.

Seemed this thing had more combat sense than he thought.

"Alright, so you're not as brainless as I thought," snorted the hunter as he straightened himself out and sheathed Red Queen across his back while the demon roared menacingly at him. Reaching into his coat, he drew Blue Rose and took aim at it, "But let's see how tough those scales of yours really are!"

With that, he fired, aiming right for the head.

The bullets struck the side of the demon's face, surprising the demon as it shook its massive head around in surprise before growling in anger and letting out another roar. The flames in its mouth began to collect again before it fired another flaming ball of mucus at Nero. Reacting quick enough, he leaped up to a tree when it struck the ground where he previously stood and leaped to another just as it exploded, bringing the mighty plant down.

Jumping from tree branch to tree branch, Nero fired several rounds at the demon from different angles. Shooting its larger body, anything to keep it confused, and probably uncover a weakness.

The demon roared angrily as it lunged at him in a surprise attack, being tired of acting as a target. Nero was just able to get away when the demon bit down on a tree trunk, snapping it in two as the hunter fell to the forest floor and rolled across his shoulder. Doing so, left him only able to recover by coming to rest on one knee while he steadied himself.

Looking back, he saw the demon spin around and lunge at him again. Acting on instinct, he dove out of the way as it slammed its massive foot down where he previously been, cracking the ground as it chased after him. The demon snapped at him again, missing once more as Nero leaped back and fired two rounds at its eyes. The bullets struck the eyes, letting the monster real back in fury as it was partially blinded. However, it was far from out of the fight.

Shaking its head, the demon in a surprising move and display of flexibility, point the tip of its tail right at Nero and sent it right towards him. The young adult had no time to react fast enough and avoid the sword-tail completely. While he dodged bodily harm, the sling that held his arm was sliced off.

"Should've figured that'd be the first to go," muttered Nero as he holstered Blue Rose briefly to roll down the sleeve of his jacket. He didn't forget about the ladies watching him, and he didn't need them finding out about Devil Bringer.

The Demon roared angrily as it watched Nero adjust himself.

"I'm getting bored of this," stated the silver-haired hunter as he grabbed Red Queen once more and unsheathed it, "Let's say you and I finish it."

To add emphasis, he planted the tip into the ground like he had before and revved the Exceed, dosing the entire sword in flames. The Demon seemed to acknowledge the declaration to end it and suddenly took its massive tail in its mouth. Sparks flew as its sharp fangs against the edge of the metal substance that coat the tail. Suddenly whipping the tail out, it dragged it against the ground a few times.

Each time, the metal substance started heating up, glowing brighter each time its sides were dragged against the forest floor. After doing so a few times, it suddenly raised its tail into the air and roared loudly, causing the hunters to clamp their ears shut while Nero only snorted, unimpressed. He's seen more intimidating things.

With a growl, he charged right towards the demon which followed suit with a roar.

With a shout, Nero leaped into the air and throttled the Exceed as much as he could. The result was a huge blast of fire coating the sword as he flipped around in the air and brought the edge down right on top of the Demon's head. The monster roared it was slammed into the ground by the hunter, however, it was far from out of the fight. Lifting its massive head, it snarled before swinging its tail at Nero but missed as the young adult easily dashed backward in a sudden display of speed.

Taking the sword with both hands, he dashed right back towards the demon, throttling the Exceed as he did so. Once in range, he swung the sword around, flames and metal collided with its tail, sending a massive shower of sparks and fire as the two opposing weapons collided. The demon was actually knocked back slightly under the force of the strike, however, roared in defiance. Even as Nero charged towards it.

Nero dashed right towards the monster's legs, gripping Red Queen with both hands as he swung the weapon around. Flames swirled around him as the hunter spun around a few times under the force of the swing, however, he missed when the demon leaped to the side, letting him attack nothing.

Sprinting to the side, the demon fired another ball of mucus at him, which Nero dodged by leaning to the side, letting just enough space between them pass to avoid being burned and being hit. The result was the ball exploding behind in, causing a dark orange glow behind the hunter.

He wasn't smiling anymore. Instead, Nero growled as he charged once more, intent on finishing this fight. He dashed forward faster than the demon could react, letting the hunter land a solid hit to its side. The strike had enough power behind it to actually knock the demon onto its side. Roaring in anguish the Demon managed to stand up, however, it had a passenger as Nero climbed onto its back.

Sprinting passed the massive spikes, the hunter ran towards the base of the neck where he plunged Red Queen into the demon.

The monster roared in agony as blood sprayed out of the wound. Nero grunted as he gripped the sword with both hands and pushed it in further, even as the demon thrashed around, trying to dislodge him. However, nothing it did could remove the hunter.

"It's over!" shouted Nero as he ripped his sword out and jumped off landing a few yards away. Getting his feet under him, he sprinted right back into the fight.

The demon roared in fury as it swung its massive tail blade at him. Seeing the attack coming, Nero fell to his knees and leaned back, letting the glowing red hot blade pass right over him. Once the blade was swung, the hunter leaped into the air, swinging Red Queen up as he did so and sliced at the glowing part of its neck.

Blood erupted room its neck while the demon screeched in agony. The flames in its mouth erupted out as it stumbled about. Meanwhile, the hunter landed back down on the ground in a crouch. He looked back to see the demon clearly in distress and his expression hardened.

Flipping Red Queen around, he ran right towards the creature, even as it stumbled about in pure agony. The flames shooting from its maw licked ground, lighting leaves and branches on fire while the demon's body knocked over trees and its tail swung around uselessly, slicing some other trees in two while the girls kept a safe distance as they watched the monster roared in pain.

Nero ducked under the demon's head as it smashed it into a tree, snapping it like a twig. He focused on the leg he previously sliced up. Throttling the Exceed in his sword, he leaped right at the leg and with a yell, swung it as hard as he could. The strike knocked the demon's leg out from under it, causing the entire demon to fall onto its side.

The beast roared in defiance as it tried to stand up, but he wouldn't allow it. Flipping into the air with a backflip, Nero brought the tip of Red Queen down right into the neck. The weapon plunged deep into its skin, the demon roaring in pain as it thrashed around.

"Do us all a favor and just die!" snarled Nero as he twisted Red Queen around, hearing a distinct snap.

The demon's eyes snapped wide open as it gurgled on its own blood that filled its throat. The flames flicked in its mouth as the demon managed to stand, however, it stumbled about as blood soon filled its lungs and the hunter ripped his sword out and leaped back just as the demon swung its tail around a few times. The monster let out on last dying shrill roar before it fell to the ground in a massive heap.

Its body twitched a few times, the last remnants of life leaving the hellish monster before it fell still and the last of the air left its lungs.

Nero snorted as he flicked the blood off his sword and sheathed it across his back. He kept his vision fixed on the demon for several moments, waiting for something, anything to let him know that this demon was clearly dead. More often then not, a demon will play dead before springing right back up to finish you, even if doing so will cost its own life.

"All that trouble for that?" Nero said in disdain as he walked over to the demon's head and inspected it, "Lady, you seriously owe me for this one."

"Now then, _boy_ ," said a familiar voice, causing the hunter to groan as he looked back to see the girl with auburn hair and silver eyes raise her hand. From the bushes, the girls all stood behind her while the one he ran into before stood by her side, "Since the beast has been dealt with, you will surrender to us. Don't bother trying to run, our arrows are laced with a powerful sleeping poison that will render you unconscious."

"And where the hell were you?" demanded Nero indignantly as he stood up and turned to face the girls, "In case you didn't notice, I was fighting off a giant sword dinosaur, while you just stood off to the side."

"The beast was not a threat to us and did not warrant our attention," replied the girl.

"Oh and I do?" retorted the hunter annoyed, "What the hell do you want from me? You don't even know me."

"And that is why you must surrender and come with us," she replied, "We know nothing about you and that makes you dangerous."

"Dangerous to who?" snapped the silver-blonde, getting more annoyed, "Last I checked, you need to know who your threatening in order to be dangerous. Not to mention, things are only dangerous if you make them."

The girl narrowed her eyes as she and the other girls glared at him. However, the hunter only scoffed as he turned his back to them, "My jobs done anyway. I'm getting paid to argue with a feminist."

However, he didn't make it two feet before he leaned to the side to let an arrow pass by his head. One of the girls shot an arrow him, intending to take him out. However, they didn't account on how fast he could react. Spinning around, Nero Blue Rose and took aim at the girl who shot at him and fired. The twin rounds of the gun snapped her bow in two and struck her arm, sending her sprawling to the ground. She cried out as blood dripped from the wound.

Nero was about to fire again though, without even looking caught the arrow that was shot at him by a familiar face. Charging at him, the girl he ran into the first time had drawn her bow and shot at him. However, she was surprised to see him catch her arrow without even looking but hid it well under an expression of anger.

She slung her bow across her shoulder and charged right at Nero, the hunter holding a neutral stance as he dropped the arrow that was shot at him and gave her a blank look. She tried tackling him, but the hunter easily stepped out of the way and let her roll across the ground. She was back on her feet and attacking him with everything she could throw at him.

Swinging her fists at him, Nero easily, if borderline, lazily blocked and dodged her punches. It was after she tried sending two punches did he decided to retaliate, ducking under her arm, he swung his right hand out into her stomach and slugged her. The girl stumbled back as the silver-haired young man holstered Blue Rose and let his hands hang by his sides.

"You wanna fight?" demanded Nero, all sense of humor he had when fighting the demon now gone, "Fine."

The girl glared at him with anger before drawing two daggers. The hunter responded by drawing Red Queen and planted the tip into the ground. He revved the Exceed, daring her to attack. The two stared at each other for a second before she charged right at him at a speed a normal human would see as blinding, but for Nero, she might as well be traveling in slow motion.

She slashed at his test, the hunter easily avoiding the attack by jumping back each time. She followed after him, swinging harder at him each time as she tried to hit him. However, no matter what she did, she couldn't touch him.

"Stand a fight me, boy!" shouted the girl, wherein a turn of events, he humored her by blocking instead of dodging.

"Whatever the lady wants," replied the hunter calmly as he shoved her back with his incredible strength. The girl stumbled back as Nero now went on the offensive.

Mercilessly, he began hacking at her, forcing the girl to block and dodge his attacks. He wasn't putting all his strength into his swings due to wanting to avoid killing her or otherwise seriously hurting her. But she wasn't making it easy at all given everything that's happened.

It was after one particularly hard slash, did Nero cause her to stumble back. In a sudden move, he raised his right boot and slammed it directly into her stomach. The strike had enough power behind it to send her sliding back several yards. She held the area where he kicked as she fell to her knees. It looked like she struggled to breathe for a moment before she looked up at him, clearly pissed off.

Nero just rested Red Queen on his left shoulder in a lazy stance and hooked his right thumb into his belt.

"You gonna stand there, or are you going to attack me as you wanted?" he drawled giving her a bored look.

The girl sneered as she charged once more at him, this time throwing one of her knives. The hunter leaned ever so slightly to the right to let the weapon fly past him. Once in close, she tried sending a kick to his stomach, but Nero easily caught her boot with his right hand. With a tremendous display of strength, he flipped her over and slammed her down to the ground.

The girl let out a surprised yelp, but was quick to recover, spinning around to kick him in the face. Nero got hit by her boot but was hardly fazed as he took a step back while she flipped to her feet. As soon as her boots hit the ground, she launched right at him, knife raised.

Almost as lazily as he dodged her first attacks, Nero caught her wrist with his right hand. The girl tried to push the knife forward, but couldn't even get his arm to budge. Instead, the hunter easily lifted her off the ground and squeezed her wrist. The girl hissed in pain, feeling her bones slowly being crushed before she dropped the knife. Letting her go once the knife was out of her hands, he kicked her in the stomach, knocking her down before doing so again, with enough strength to send her sliding back several feet.

Tumbling across the ground, she managed to roll with the momentum, getting to her feet. The girl had to steady herself slightly as she was covered in grass stains from the ground. She glared hatefully at him for a second and looked to Nero with hate. She was about to rush him once more but was stopped when the silver-eyed girl grabbed her shoulder.

"That's enough, Zoë," ordered the girl, though it sounded as if she was disappointed in her. Causing Nero to cock an eyebrow slightly.

"But my lady!" protested the girl, but was silenced when the other cut her off.

"You had your chance," stated the girl, "He is clearly better than you."

Once that was said, she turned to Nero, who was still resting Red Queen on his shoulder, "I will admit, _boy_ , you are skilled, but now you must deal with me."

"Don't flatter yourself," snorted the hunter as he gave her a pointed look, "I've dealt with worse than you."

It was in the blink of an eye did she attack, rushing right towards Nero. But to her surprise, he easily blocked with Red Queen's edge. The hunter's coat billowed behind him as the air from her rushing him blew past, but the silver hunter was not impressed. She gritted her teeth and tried overpowering the demon hunter, but Nero would not bow. Instead, he pushed back, actually causing the girl's wrist to hurt trying to grip her knives and hold off the hunter.

"If this is your best, I'm disappointed!" snarled Nero as he suddenly shoved the girl away, causing her to stumble back a few feet.

The girl glared at the hunter before she went in again and tried slashing at his chest, but missed when the hunter leaped to the side and retaliated by swinging Red Queen right at her. She dodged the attack by ducking under the swing and countered by slashing at his face. The young man leaned back, letting only the tip of her knife graze the top of his skin. She didn't cut him, but it was a real close shave.

Stepping back, Nero flipped Red Queen around before he went on the offensive, mercilessly hacking and slashing at the girl, forcing her to block and dodge his swings. There was only so much she could do before he sent a surprise right hook directly to her jaw, knocking her back several feet.

"You are strong," noted the girl as she looked at the hunter, "As is your weapon. Where did you get it?"

"Trade secret," replied Nero ominously before he lunged at her, revving the Exceed this time.

The girl widened her eyes as the sudden appearance of fire caught her slightly off guard. Still, even though she had already seen it; when it is directed at you as opposed to watching from a distance are two different things. The demon hunter swung at her, flames went flying as she leaped to the side to avoid the fire.

Flipping from her hands to her feet, she lunged at the hunter once more but was stopped when he used Red Queen to block her attack. He then shoved her back like before and leaped up into the air. He performed a forward flip and brought the tip of his sword down. The girl jumped back but was caught by surprise when the flames erupted around the point of impact of the sword. She hastily raised her arms to block the fire, which was all Nero needed.

Lunging right towards her, he sent a punch right at her jaw with his right hand. He figured she could take the hit, and she did. Being knocked completely off her feet, she was sent flying back where she collided with a tree. The Hunter charged after once more but suddenly fell forward when he felt something wrap around his ankle.

Looking back, he saw a root was wrapped around his foot. He was about to swing at the offending object but was suddenly shot in the shoulder by an arrow. Nero grunted as he ripped the arrow out and looked at the culprit. It was the girl who he fought before, holding out her bow.

"Fucking bitch," swore Nero as he tried to pull himself free, but soon, more roots began wrapping around him. The roots collied around his arms and chest, refusing to give in as he was slowly forced to his knees. Nero gritted his teeth as he swung his sword down, slicing through the roots. As he cut through more roots, he was hit by another arrow. Nero swore and ripped out that arrow as well, but was shot once more.

Around, the Hunters of Artemis fired a short barrage of arrows at the Demon Hunter until there were at least fifteen arrows stuck out of Nero. The hunter soon was restrained as the roots that coiled around him were replaced by chains. He refused to give in and continued to try fighting back, but he felt drowsy like he was extremely tired.

"What?" muttered the hunter as he couldn't understand why he was so tired. He shouldn't be tired at all. He should still be at one-hundred percent. Fighting that demon wasn't the issue and he hadn't taken any hits since-

That's when it hit him.

The arrows.

They said they tipped their arrows with sleeping poison.

"Fuck," swore the silver-haired hunter before he lost consciousness.

Artemis relaxed as she approached the restrained boy and knelt before him. Using one dagger, she lifted his chin, inspecting his unconscious face. Her eyes were filled with hate but some minor annoyance. She removed her knife and turned to Zoë.

"You should not have interfered," stated Artemis.

"I did what was necessary my Lady," defended Zoë, knowing that despite her own vendetta, she knew her lady was right.

"Even so, that was my battle," stated the hunt goddess.

"A battle which you were losing," stated a familiar face.

All the hunters turned to the source to see a familiar sun god leaning against a tree with a grin on his face. He was wearing a jacket, jeans, and some hiking boots. He pushed off from the tree to approach his sister, sending a few hunters a smile as he walked by them.

"Hey, sis," greeted Apollo, as he hooked his thumbs into the rings of jeans, "Seemed like you had quite the fight."

"I had it under control," growled Artemis, angrily, "Why are you here?"

"Dad sent me to tell you to take him to Camp-Half Blood. He and the others saw the whole thing," explained the god, "Wasn't too happy since the dino's dead. But, he figured that we could find out more about the kid if we bring him to camp."

Artemis glared at him for a moment before huffing, "Fine, we'll take him to the camp."

* * *

_**New York City, New York, Mount Olympus** _

"Kid's tougher than we thought," commented Ares humorously as he sat in his throne, "gave Artemis quite the run for her money."

"I'm more interested in his weapon," spoke up Hephaestus, looking at the mentioned weapon with curiosity.

"Yes, but did you see the way the flames were produced and flowed," pointed out Athena, taking more interest into the hunter, "He must have some form of pyrokinesis in order to able to wreath the flames around the blade as he has shown."

"Pyrokinesis, huh?" said Dionysus, "One of yours Ares?"

"No, I don't have kids with pyrokinesis," Ares replied before he looked over to Hephaestus, "If it's anyone's, it's Hephaestus', though didn't your last kid with pyrokinesis burn down a bit of London?"

The forge god only glared at him from the mention of London. However, after a moment, he sighed before speaking, "No, he is not mine."

"Then who does he belong to?" Zeus demanded, scanning the faces of the gods and goddesses in the room. The room was silent as none of the gods claimed to be the parent of the hunter they found. However, none of them also noticed that Hestia was tending to the fire a bit more than usual.

She knew who the parent of Nero was.

Because she was the parent. She was Nero's mother.

_**To Be Continued...** _


End file.
